Yedioth Ahronoth: Netanyahu’s plane will not land in New York, out of fear of Mamdani

A report by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make a brief visit to the United States to address the United Nations General Assembly, out of fear of anti-Netanyahu protests or of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani arresting him if he visits the city in compliance with an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

The newspaper added that Netanyahu’s plane will arrive in the United States on Thursday morning, with his speech scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. New York time. It emphasized that in an unprecedented move, Netanyahu will remain in New York for only a few hours, will not stay overnight, and will return to Israel in the evening. He will not take any journalists with him on the flight.

According to Israeli security sources, Netanyahu is expected to land at a military airport in New Jersey or at Newark Airport, rather than at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

This decision was attributed to difficulties in coordination with U.S. authorities and concerns that Mayor Mamdani might order the plane to take off immediately, rather than allowing it to remain at the airport while awaiting Netanyahu’s return. Consequently, the plane was scheduled to land in New Jersey.